Australian Open: Vomit, melting bottles and 'frying pan' in Melbourne

Australian Open hots up – Li Na faced a battle to stay cool and to stay in the Australian Open against Lucie Safarova.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Medical treatment – Li's compatriot Zheng Jie needed medical treatment for heat stress during her 6-2 6-4 defeat by Casey Dellacqua. "I felt so hot, my mind wasn't working," said Zheng. "I was looking at the ball, but I couldn't focus on it. Then I couldn't concentrate. This weather is very difficult for me.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Sleepless nights – Serena Williams looked in complete control during her straight-sets win over Vesna Dolonc on Wednesday, but the top seed admitted to waking up in the middle of the night due to fears over dehydration.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Ice cool – Maria Sharapova wrapped ice around her neck in a bid to keep cool during her first round win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

It's a hot Juan – Playing early in the day on Tuesday, Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro felt the heat during his win over American Rhyne Williams.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Fainting – It all got to much for Canadian Frank Dancevic who fainted during his match with Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Exposed to the elements – While supporters in the Rod Laver Arena could at least take cover under its roof, fans on the outside courts were exposed to the elements.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Strike a pose – With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius at the Australian Open, sport scientist Dr. Ross Tucker suggests any player hoping to succeed Down Under should take up Bikram Yoga.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Hot shot – Men's fourth seed Andy Murray is a long-term practitioner of bikram yoga. Clearly comfortable in the heat, he's reached the final in Melbourne in three of the last four years, though the Scot has questioned if the players' health is being put at risk.

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Australian Open hots up12 photos

Beach party – While some chose to head to Melbourne Park, other Melbournians chose to hit St. Kilda beach.

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Story highlights

Temperatures rise to 107.96 degrees Fahrenheit at the Australian Open

Defending champions Victoria Azarenka says playing on court is like "dancing in a frying pan"

Caroline Wozniacki claims her drinks bottle melted while she was playing

China's Peng Shuai suffered cramps and vomited during her match

With plastic bottles melting on court and players vomiting during matches, the heat is on in at the Australian Open, though organizers have cut the women some slack.

As temperatures soared, China's Peng Shuai blamed the conditions after she cramped up and was sick during her defeat to Kurumi Nara of Japan.

At one point temperatures at Melbourne Park rose to 42.2 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit), with world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka describing playing on the Rod Laver Arena court as like "dancing in a frying pan."

It got so hot, organizers introduced the tournament's "extreme heat" contingency plan which allows for an extended break between the second and third set for the women.

The decision on whether or not to suspend play lies with tournament director Wayne McKewen, who uses a scale which factors in temperature, humidity and wind.

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Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver 5 photos

Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver5 photos

Legends come together – Two legends of tennis came together in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open getting underway next week. Roger Federer, a 17-time grand slam winner, and the great Rod Laver delighted the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena by exchanging a couple of rallies ahead of a charity match.

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Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver5 photos

Now... – Laver may not be as agile as he once was, but world No. 6 Federer was delighted to be able to take to the court with one of his heroes.

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Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver5 photos

... and then – During his 13-year playing career, Laver reached the top of the world rankings and won 11 grand slam titles. The lefthander retired in 1976.

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Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver5 photos

Rod Laver Arena – Federer and Laver played in the Rod Laver Arena, which annually hosts the Australian Open finals.

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Roger Federer vs. Rod Laver5 photos

Galaxy of stars – A host of stars turned out to raise money for the Roger Federer Foundation. From left to right, Pat Rafter, Tony Roche, Federer, Laver, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Lleyton Hewitt pose for the cameras.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent? 11 photos

Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Bernard Tomic is a former junior world No. 1 and he has produced some big wins on the men's tennis tour, most notably at his home major in Australia and at Wimbledon. But his indiscretions and the behavior of his father, John, have made headlines for the wrong reasons.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Tomic was one of the most highly-touted tennis juniors of recent decades, and boasted he would one day win all four major tournaments and become the world No. 1.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – In 2009 Tomic became the first Australian to win the U.S. Open boys' title in 25 years when he beat American Chase Buchanan.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – On the pro tour, Tomic has had memorable runs at the Australian Open the past three editions. It took Roger Federer to stop him in 2012 and 2013.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Tomic has also fared well at Wimbledon. In 2011 he became the youngest man since Boris Becker to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Despite his junior success in New York, he has never done well in the Big Apple in the senior ranks. And at the clay-court French Open he owns a poor 1-4 record.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Andy Roddick thumped Tomic at the 2012 U.S. Open. Afterwards, Australian Davis Cup captain Patrick Rafter called Tomic's performance "disgraceful" and John McEnroe added that he "tanked," or threw in the towel.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Legendary Australian coach Tony Roche, right, reportedly berated Tomic during a Davis Cup encounter against Germany in 2012, just weeks after losing to Roddick. A month later, Tomic said he gave only "85%" in a loss at the Shanghai Masters.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Tomic's father and coach John, pictured, received an eight-month suspended sentence in September after he head-butted the player's former hitting partner Thomas Drouet. He has been banned from attending tournaments.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – Drouet is pictured here after the assault. In a diary that was later published by an Australian newspaper, Drouet claimed John Tomic punched his son in the face and shot him in the leg with a BB gun.

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Tomic: Tennis' tainted talent?11 photos

And he's still only 21 – What next for Tomic? Only time will tell. But he'll be hoping for another good Australian Open when the tournament begins in the middle of January.